Bronze Whaler Shark Facts & Worksheets

The Bronze whaler shark belong to the family of requiem sharks, which are migratory and live in temperate waters (and at times in brackish waters). Their species are notable for being the only member of their genus to be found at temperate latitudes at most times.

See the fact file below for more information on Bronze Whaler Shark or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Bronze Whaler Shark worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

TAXONOMY AND ETYMOLOGY 

• British zoologist, Albert Günther, gave the earliest accurate description of this species using his accounts, written in the 8th volume of the 1870 Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum, thus, arriving at its present-day scientific classification. However, bronze whaler sharks had been scientifically described numerous times before. Past literature suggests different taxonomy yet, it was associated with another type of species.
• Its genus name, Carcharhinus, came from two Greek words: karcharos, meaning sharpen, and rhinos, meaning nose.
• Its specific name, brachyurus, also comes from two Greek words: brachys, meaning short, and oura, which means tail.
• The term whaler suggests the name applied by the crews onboard the whaling vessels in the Pacific who saw various species of sharks surrounding whale cadavers. 
• These sharks go under several names: Copper Sharks, for their sandy-copper hue when placed out of the water or dark-gold tint when under the sun; and Narrow Tooth Sharks, characterized by their narrow hook-shaped upper teeth. Different locales in each region where these sharks are found also have distinct common names for this species despite the difficulty of distinguishing it from other large requiem sharks.

ANATOMY

• Bronze whaler sharks are large-shaped requiem sharks with long, moderately rounded, and pointed snouts and a bulge near the base of the front edge of the upper caudal fin.
• Bronze Whaler Sharks (Scientific name: Carcharhinus brachyurus) usually grow about 3 meters long and weigh approximately 300 kilograms. 
• As the name implies, these sharks range from having a bronzy grey color on the ridge between their dorsal fins to a somewhat faint olive-grey coloration on their back.
• Their color serves as their adaptation to their environment through camouflage, which protects them from predators and prey underwater.
• It has narrow and triangular hook-shaped teeth – the upper part varies for males (having proportionately longer and more hook-shaped) than females and the young. Its eyes are circular and relatively large. 
• It has a white-colored ventral surface of which most fins have dusky edges. They have moderately large pectoral fins that are narrow and rounded or pointed at the tip. These species also lack and interdorsal ridge, with pale blaze-colored flanks from below the dorsal fin to its tail and any apparent body markings.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

• Bronze whaler sharks are evident around the waters of Australia and New Zealand. Yet, the distribution of this species is widely spread across the warm, temperate, and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, Mediterranean, and Southern Africa.
• It is known to be the only species of requiem shark in the genus Carcharhinus that lives in temperate rather than tropical waters.
• They are a migratory species that follow the shoals of the migrating shoals of sardines.
• They are tolerant to the low and changing salinity of the water. Young sharks of this species inhabit the coastal waters with depths of less than 30 meters (approximately 98 feet) year-long.
• As mentioned above, mature bronze whaler sharks tend to be found offshore yet, also approach the coast, usually in the spring and summer seasons when their breeding time nears and as schools of fish were observed in shallow waters.

FOOD HABITS

• Bronze whaler sharks usually feed on a variety of marine life, ranging from the class of cephalopods (which includes squid and octopus) to schooling, pelagic, shoaling, and bottom-bony fishes (including salmon, sardines, mullet, and flatfish). Mature sharks of this species also feed on other smaller sharks and stingrays.
• Bronze whaler sharks are fast, active, and can leap out of the water. They may be seen alone, in pairs, or in schools of up to approximately 100 sharks. Aggregations form from the purpose of reproduction and hunting based on the concentrations of food. 

REPRODUCTION

• The mating of bronze whaler sharks begins when a mature male bites another mature female, which usually takes place from October (spring) to December (early summer) in the southern hemisphere.
• Mature female bronze whalers are known to have one functional ovary located on the right and two functional uteruses.
• They are known as placental viviparous species, which means that the yolk-like sacs of developing embryos are nourished by a placental connection to the mother before the shark pups are born alive. 
• Gestation of this species lasts about 12 months. Reproduction occurs biennially – from June to January and peaking in October and November – where 7 to 24 pups (with an average of 15) are born with a length measuring about 60 centimeters.
• Female bronze whalers use the shallow coastal bays as nurseries, which provide abundant food and are less likely to be preyed on by a more prominent member of the species.

HUMAN INTERACTIONS

• Bronze whaler sharks are commercially sold and are available for human consumption in regions of New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa. They are caught using gillnets, bottom trawls, or line gears, and usually by sports fishermen and bowfishers for recreational fishing.
• When caught, they adapt poorly; they tend to bump into the sides of their enclosure, which may result in abrasions, which in turn may be infected and often lead to fatal consequences.
• Other recreational practices in other regions, particularly in northern North Island and Namibia, include fishing for pregnant and postpartum female bronze whaler sharks, wherein they practice a tag and release program.
• They are susceptible to fishing pressure, like most species of sharks, for having slow growth, which takes up to 20 years to reach sexual maturity.
• Despite being hunted and caught for commercial and recreational fishing, bronze whaler sharks are considered potentially dangerous to humans. According to the International Shark Attack File, since 1962, there have been 15 attacks on humans by bronze whaler sharks, of which one case resulted in a fatality.

CONSERVATION

• Bronze whaler sharks are said to be vulnerable throughout the world  based on an assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to their long maturation span and low productivity rate. While the species’ global population remains unknown, it is listed under the category of “Least Concern” in areas of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa as the fishing practices of the bronze whalers are well-managed. While data deficiency was assessed among the eastern Pacific, it was then assessed as vulnerable in the regions of East Asia.
• Threats to their species may be caused by the degradation of the shallow bay and coastal nurseries, which are needed for the species’ reproduction, unmaintained aquaculture, and mortality from shark nets (used to protect swimmers on beaches), and overfishing. 

Bronze Whaler Shark Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Bronze Whaler Shark across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about the Bronze Whaler Shark which belongs to the family of requiem sharks that are migratory and live in temperate waters.

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Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

• Bronze Whaler Shark Facts
• Amazing Shark Trail
• Copper Word Bank
• Bronzy Word Search
• Classified!
• Build Me Up
• My Very Own Bronzy
• Shark-gram
• Into the Shark Zone
• Snapped Shot
• Message in A Bottle

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Bronze Whaler Sharks attack humans?

Despite being hunted for parts and sport, bronze whalers are considered potentially dangerous to humans. there have been 15 known attacks on humans by bronze whaler sharks since 1962.

Where do Bronze Whaler Sharks get their name?

Bronze Whaler Sharks get their name from having a bronzy grey color on the ridge between their dorsal fins to a somewhat faint olive-grey coloration on their back.

How big does a Bronze Whaler Shark get?

Bronze Whaler Sharks usually grow about 3 meters long and weigh approximately 300 kilograms.

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